Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article

Artistic Photography for Science Teaching: Preschool Teachers Creating Photographic Metaphors to Represent Scientific Phenomena

Article Sidebar

Examples of photographs used
Download PDF
Submitted   Jun 25, 2025
Published   Sep 29, 2025
Issue    Vol 5 No 2 (2025)
DOI   10.25082/AMLER.2025.02.013

Views

0

Downloads

0

Citations

PlumX Metrics

Main Article Content

Argyris Nipyrakis corresponding author
Department of Primary and Preschool Education, University of Crete, Rethymno 74100, Greece

Abstract

Digital photographs are commonly used for science instruction since they can facilitate meaning-making and can draw students' interest and attention. However, it appears valuable to explore teachers' own creations of digital photographs, e.g. by using their portable mobile phone devices, to illustrate scientific phenomena as well as to create metaphorical representations of these phenomena, which this study calls `photographic metaphors'. In this direction, this study qualitatively examined preservice preschool teachers' (n = 42) artistic photographs and photographic metaphors. Furthermore, it examined teachers' views on using such an arts-based approach through qualitative content analysis of their questionnaire reflections. The findings revealed that teachers created a variety of photographic metaphors having linguistic and conceptual features. Furthermore, they found such an approach engaging and effective for science teaching. However, challenges often arose since teachers created inaccurate or vague metaphors in several instances. The findings inform teacher education designers in implementing arts-based approaches in science, specifically through artistic photography.

Keywords
arts-based approaches in science, artistic photography, photographic metaphors, preservice teachers, preschool education

Article Details

Supporting Agencies
The Author wants to thank the Photographic Organisation of Heraklion, Crete (www.efecrete.gr), and its instructors Polichronis Nikiforakis, Kostas Dalaveros, Thanasis Bogris and Manolis Metzakis for providing photography courses and personalised assistance in defining Artistic Photography to the Author, as well as for generally disseminating the Art of Photography to the public.
How to Cite
Nipyrakis, A. (2025). Artistic Photography for Science Teaching: Preschool Teachers Creating Photographic Metaphors to Represent Scientific Phenomena. Advances in Mobile Learning Educational Research, 5(2), 1584-1596. https://doi.org/10.25082/AMLER.2025.02.013
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

References

  1. Aleksandraki, F., & Zaranis, N. (2023). Greek parents’ profile concerning the use of smart mobile devices and their educational applications by preschool and elementary school children. Advances in Mobile Learning Educational Research, 3(2), 851–858. https://doi.org/10.25082/amler.2023.02.012
  2. Avraamidou, L., & Martins, I. (2022). Arts-based methods in exploring issues related to power and colonialism in science participation. Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2022 (pp. 1723-1730). International Society of the Learning Sciences.
  3. Chappell, M. J. (2023). Dimensions of the Structure-Agency Dialectic Embedded in Black Students’ Ethnodance of Their Science Identity Construction. Research in Science Education, 54(1), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-023-10111-y
  4. Christidou, B. (2025). The Creation of Educational Materials by Prospective Teachers for the Cultivation of Scientific Visual Literacy in Young Children. Panhellenic Conference on the Teaching of Natural Sciences and New Technologies in Education, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.12681/codiste.7783
  5. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2002). Research Methods in Education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203224342
  6. Contini, A., & Giuliani, A. (2022). Inclusive Science Education Through Metaphors and Narrative. Fostering Inclusion in Education, 195–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07492-9_10
  7. Cook, K. (2015). Grappling with wicked problems: exploring photovoice as a decolonizing methodology in science education. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 10(3), 581–592. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-014-9613-0
  8. Dawson, K., & Lee, B. K. (2018). Drama-based Pedagogy. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv36xw0wt
  9. Duit, R. (1991). On the role of analogies and metaphors in learning science. Science Education, 75(6), 649–672. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.3730750606
  10. European Commission. (2025). SciArt: Science Art Society. https://science-art-society.ec.europa.eu/activities/education
  11. Gurney, B. F. (1995). Tugboats and tennis games: Preservice conceptions of teaching and learning revealed through metaphors. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32(6), 569–583. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660320605
  12. Jornet, A. (2014). The bodily and contextual foundations of conceptual coherence and continuity [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Oslo.
  13. Kampourakis, K. (2016). The Bad Use of Metaphors and the Use of Bad Metaphors. Science & Education, 25(9–10), 947–949. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-016-9870-2
  14. Kalaitsidaki, M., Mantadaki, K., & Tsantiropoulos, A. (2022). Picturing the Urban Environment: Using Photovoice to Bring University Students’ Views and Voices into Urban Environmental Education. Current Research in Biology Education, 301–313. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89480-1_23
  15. Kersting, M., & Steier, R. (2018). Understanding Curved Spacetime. Science & Education, 27(7–8), 593–623. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-018-9997-4
  16. Lancor, R. A. (2018). Metaphors for Learning: a Guide for Teachers. Science & Education, 27(7–8), 815–820. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-018-9995-6
  17. Levrini, O. (2002). Reconstructing the Basic Concepts of General Relativity from an Educational and Cultural Point of View. Science & Education, 11(3), 263–278. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1015297814508
  18. Levrini, O., Levin, M., Fantini, P., & Tasquier, G. (2018). Orchestration of classroom discussions that foster appropriation. Science Education, 103(1), 206–235. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21475
  19. Mayring, P. (2014). Qualitative Content Analysis: Theoretical Background and Procedures. Approaches to Qualitative Research in Mathematics Education, 365–380. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9181-6_13
  20. Metaphors and Analogies in Sciences and Humanities. (2022). In S. Wuppuluri & A. C. Grayling (Eds.), Synthese Library. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90688-7
  21. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). The integration of the humanities and arts with sciences, engineering, and medicine in higher education: Branches from the same tree. https://nap.edu/24988
  22. Niebert, K., Marsch, S., & Treagust, D. F. (2012). Understanding needs embodiment: A theory‐guided reanalysis of the role of metaphors and analogies in understanding science. Science Education, 96(5), 849–877. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21026
  23. Nipirakis, A., & Varela, M. (2025). The Composition of Riddles in the Teaching of Natural Sciences by Prospective Teachers: Poetry for the Connection of Concepts and Emotions. Panhellenic Conference on the Teaching of Natural Sciences and New Technologies in Education, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.12681/codiste.7718
  24. Nipyrakis, A. (2024). Pre-school teachers’ digital concept maps and instructional design practices. Advances in Mobile Learning Educational Research, 4(1), 1007–1020. https://doi.org/10.25082/amler.2024.01.012
  25. Nipyrakis, A. (2025). Inquiry Fairytales: Pre-service Teachers Integrating Science and Scientific Inquiry in Fairytale-like Stories for Science Teaching. [Symposium paper]. In A. Nipyrakis & M. Chappell (Chairs). Navigating the Praxis of Fiction & Non-fiction for Engaging with Science Through Storying [Symposium]. European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) 2025 Conference, Copenhagen.
  26. Ødegaard, M. (2003). Dramatic Science. A Critical Review of Drama in Science Education. Studies in Science Education, 39(1), 75–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057260308560196
  27. Papadakis, S., & Kalogiannakis, M. (2017). Mobile educational applications for children: what educators and parents need to know. International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation, 11(3), 256. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijmlo.2017.085338
  28. Papadakis, S., Kalogiannakis, M., & Zaranis, N. (2021). Teaching mathematics with mobile devices and the Realistic Mathematical Education (RME) approach in kindergarten. Advances in Mobile Learning Educational Research, 1(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.25082/amler.2021.01.002
  29. Psillos, D., & Kariotoglou, P. (2016). Theoretical Issues Related to Designing and Developing Teaching-Learning Sequences. Iterative Design of Teaching-Learning Sequences, 11–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7808-5_2
  30. Tang, K.-S. (2022). Distribution of Visual Representations Across Scientific Genres in Secondary Science Textbooks: Analysing Multimodal Genre Pattern of Verbal-Visual Texts. Research in Science Education, 53(2), 357–375. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-022-10058-6
  31. Tang, J. T., Lin, M.-H., Jau, Y.-Y., Lan, W. C., & Chou, H.-L. (2024). Integrating Science Education Through Cross-Disciplinary Digital Picture Books. Science & Education, 34(4), 2525–2551. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-024-00567-3
  32. Thomas, G. P. (n.d.). Metaphor, Students’ Conceptions of Learning and Teaching, and Metacognition. Metaphor and Analogy in Science Education, 105–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3830-5_9
  33. Trachanas, S. (2018). An introduction to quantum physics: A first course for physicists, chemists, materials scientists, and engineers. John Wiley & Sons.
  34. Treagust, D. F., & Duit, R. (2015). On the Significance of Conceptual Metaphors in Teaching and Learning Science: Commentary on Lancor; Niebert and Gropengiesser; and Fuchs. International Journal of Science Education, 37(5–6), 958–965. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2015.1025312
  35. Varelas, M., Kotler, R. T., Natividad, H. D., Phillips, N. C., Tsachor, R. P., Woodard, R., Gutierrez, M., Melchor, M. A., & Rosario, M. (2021). “Science theatre makes you good at science”: Affordances of embodied performances in urban elementary science classrooms. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 59(4), 493–528. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21735
  36. Varelas, M., Diaz, A. R., Kotler, R., Woodard, R., Rock, R., Sabitt, Z., Phillips, N., Tsachor, R., Gutierrez, M., Natividad, H., Threewitt, D., & Ellison, J. (2024). Embodied, dramatizing performances in science class: multimodal spaces and places of knowledge and identity construction. Research in Science & Technological Education, 42(1), 157–179. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2024.2306307
  37. Wang, C. C. (1999). Photovoice: A Participatory Action Research Strategy Applied to Women’s Health. Journal of Women’s Health, 8(2), 185–192. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.1999.8.185
  38. Woodard, R., Diaz, A. R., Phillips, N. C., Varelas, M., Tsachor, R., Kotler, R., Rock, R., & Melchor, M. (2024). ‘Be Creative and Have Fun’: elementary‐aged children’s digital and embodied composing in science. Literacy, 58(2), 167–177. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12365